Improvement in hand-cars



B. F. RAY.

fHandjDar.

Pallaned Aug. 24, 1875.

MII-.Ill l l IIII ATTORNEYS UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

BENJAMIN F. BAY, OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND.

IMPROVEMENT IN HAND-CARS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 167,119, dated August 24, 1875 application led July 3, 1875.

To all whom 'it may concern.-

Be it known that I, BENJAMIN F. RAY, of Baltimore, in the county of Baltimore and State of Maryland, have invented a new and valuable Improvement in Hand-Cars; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the construction and operation of the same, reference being had to the annexed drawings making a part of this specification, and to the letters and figures of reference marked thereon.

Figure l of the drawings is a representation of a longitudinal vertical section of my hand-car. Fig. 2 is'a plan view of the same; and Fig. 3-is a sectional detail view.

rIhis invention has relation to hand-cars, which are designed for the use of men engaged in laying and repairing railroads, and for other purposes; and the nature of my invention consists in two forked pawl-carrying levers, which are free `to vibrate on a short shaft., carrying two ratchet-wheels and an intermediate spur-wheel, which latter engages with a pinion on the axle of two truck-wheels, said short shaft and truck-wheel axle having their bearings in two intermediate longitudinal beams of the truck-frame, as will be hereinafter explained In the annexed drawings, A designates a rectangular truck frame, between the side beams of which are two longitudinal beams, a a, which are framed into the end beams. B B B' B' are the flanged truck-wheels applied fast on axles b b', the latter one of which is borne by the side beams of the truck-frame, and also by the two intermediate beams a a. O designates a short shaft, which has its end bearings in the two beams a a near the axle b. On this shaft is keyed a large spur-wheel, D, and on each side of this wheel a ratchetwheel, c, is keyed on the shaft C. The teeth ofthe wheels cc are pitched in the same di-' rection, and astride of each wheel c is the forked end of a lever, G, which receives loosely through it the shaft G. To each lever G a pawl, g, is pivoted, which is acted on by a spring, s, and which engages with'a ratchetwheel, c, so that when the lever is drawn backward its pawl will engage with a ratchetwheel, c, and turn the shaft G, and with it the wheel D. rIhe wheel D engages with a pinion spur-wheel, f, on the axle b', so that when levers G G are vibrated rotary motion will be imparted to the wheels B', and the car will receive locomotion.

One advantage of my improvement is that the axle b and the shaft C are both sustained by the two strong longitudinal beams a a of the truck-frame, which maintains a fixed relation to the parts, and keeps the two wheels D f always properly .in gear. Another advantage is in having the pawls g directly in line with the levers, which prevents the parts twisting and the levers from binding on the shaft C.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

The vibrating forked levers G G, ratchetwheels c, pawls g, and spur-wheel D on shaft O, combined with the pinion f on axle b, and sustained by the beams a a ofthe truck-fram( A, as shown and described.

In testimony that I claim the above I have hereunto subscribed my name in the presenc( of two witnesses.

B. F. RAY.

Witnesses:

JAS. B. LooMIs, GEORGE E. UPHAM. 

